A Man Out of You
by SnapeHeir
Summary: Six years after Voldemort came back to life and things have not gone well. Hogwarts is now a sanctuary where we must protect those that we love the most. Hermione and Ginny will have to use their brains and cunning to be able to be there for those they love. Rated "M" to be on the safe side.


**A Man Out of You**

 **Author's Notes:** _I will try to keep A/N's to a minimum. I do not know where this story is going, but I will do my best not to abandon it. Reviews are welcome, as long as we are all respectful of each other._

 _I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, places, etc. I am just borrowing them._

 _I do not have a beta, so if you are interested PM me. English is not my first language, but I will do my best not to butcher it._

 **Chapter I:**

The war had been going on for years. Six to be exact, six years since Voldemort had been brought back to life. Many had been lost, Sirius, Charlie, Percy, Hagrid and so many others that they probably didn't even know their names. At one point, parents stopped sending their children to Hogwarts. Although, the castle was as impenetrable and safe as ever, the journey there or the journey to Diagon Alley or to any other parts of the magical world had become too dangerous to even contemplate. So parents stopped sending their children, or even worse children could not be sent home because they had no one to go to. So they remained and eventually Hogwarts was no longer a school of witchcraft and wizardry, but a shelter. A shelter for those that had nowhere to go, a shelter for those who had no one to go to, a shelter for those that opposed Voldemort.

Three years had passed since Harry, Ron and Hermione took the boats back over the black lake on their graduation night. Their hearts full of dread instead of happiness as they started their lives as grownups. Their minds had no dreams for the future, for a career or a family. Their minds were full of fear and death. Loosing Sirius had been hard for Harry, the death of Charlie and Percy within a week of each other nearly destroyed the Weasley family and Hagrid, oh how that marked all of them. At that point Ron felt he had no more tears to shed for his friends and his family. But he was wrong, because the tears never ended, nor did they run out reasons to shed them.

– Earth to Hermione – Harry said, as he waved his hand over Hermione's face.

– What? – She replied.

– You were miles away – said Harry.

– Oh – said Hermione as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the oak tree they were sitting under. – Just remembering – She whispered.

Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at each other in understanding. An uncomfortable silence fell around them. They knew whenever one of their friends were remembering, they were not referring to the wonderful but short years they spent in this very place making mischiefs and growing up, but to the latest years of their lives those that seemed to erase everything that happened before.

– Come on, time for supper – Said Ginny rising to her feet and pulling Harry with her.

– Good idea – Said Ron as he ungracefully got up to follow.

Picking up the book she had been previously reading, Hermione took a deep breath and followed suit.

They made their way up the hill and onto the hanging bridge towards the Castle. As they walked, people of all ages passed them by. Elderly, adults, teenagers and even children too small to be at Hogwarts, yet. This was the new world they lived in. Many were orphans due to the war.

As the four friends entered the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny hand in hand, they looked around and found a small table pushed to one of the side walls and sat at it. The Great Hall was no longer divided by the four large house tables. In their stead, several small tables were placed all around. Although, the food was still delicious, courtesy of the house-elves. It was only obligatory for underage residents to attain meals in the Great Hall; others could eat in their rooms. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione rarely ate at the Great Hall, but when the mood struck or Dumbledore required it of them.

Today was a day, when they just felt the need to see others around them. To remember not everything was lost, and when Harry saw the toddlers and young kids, younger than any Hogwarts had ever seen, he felt hope and a strong desire to make their futures better. As he saw Ginny sitting next to him, he thought that maybe he could make the future better for his own children as well.

– Ronald! – They were all a little startled by Mrs. Weasley's voice – Your father and I taught you better manners – She said as she walked by with an infant no over a year old in her arms.

Harry, Ginny and Hermione smiled as they saw Ron's face growing red. He then decided to eat a little slower and chew his food better before swallowing.

– Anyone up for a Quidditch game? – Said Fred as him and George sat on either side of their younger brother.

– 'm in – Said Ron, around a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

– Charming, Ron– said Hermione turning back to her book from earlier.

– We are in, too– Said Ginny looking at Harry for confirmation, although he was already nodding his head in the affirmative.

– Hermione? – Asked George, turning to her sitting next to Ginny.

– No, thank you– She said without taking her eyes of her book.

– Oh, come on! – Said, Bill as he joined their little group that was growing by the second – You are no fun if you are studying all the time –

– I am not studying – She said, as she flipped a page – This is pleasure reading –

– Pleasure? – Exclaimed Ron – I always knew there was something wrong with you, Hermione! –

–Just go fly away – She said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and rising from the table – There are some books I want to take a look at in the –

– LIBRARY! – All Weasleys, plus a Potter sang in unison.

Hugging the book she was holding to her chest, she stuck out her tongue and walked away from them. A small smile playing on her lips as she herd them cracking a laugh. They all needed to laugh from time to time.

Things had gone from bad to worse in what felt like a blink of an eye. First there were three main groups regarding the fight against Voldemort: The Order, The Death Eaters and the Ministry. The latest, of course, refusing to believe Harry and Dumbledore when they said Voldemort was back. Hermione still dreamed of the day she could get her hands on Dolores Umbridge. Then, they finally decided to accept the fact that Voldemort was back when Sirius died. From then on, the disagreement remained on how to fight him. The Ministry was totally against the formation of the Order, calling them vigilantes and such. Fudge was so against it, that he actually out-lawed any sort of protection groups forming without proper registration and approval from the Ministry. It was just like Umbridge's Educational Decree Number 128, which forbade students organizations.

As a result, the Order members were hunted down by Voldemort and the Ministry. Eventually, any movement around the magical world was deadly dangerous and six months previous saw Order members rounding up civilians and innocents to shelter them at Hogwarts.

– This is madness! –

The raised voice of Minerva McGonagall took Hermione out of her own thoughts.

– What do you mean not allowed to fight? – She was saying.

Hermione knew she should not listen in on this conversation. It was obviously private, if the shushing noise coming from inside was any indication. She looked around to make sure no one was coming and lean on the wall to try and hear better.

– Minerva, there is no need to yell – The voice of Dumbledore was saying.

– You are telling me, that several task forces are going to be created to go out there and fight, but that the women will have to stay in here and do what? – She had started low, but her voice was once again raised by the end – COOK? –

– You know perfectly well that this is for the better – Said Dumbledore. – We know what horrors they go through if they are capture. If it is a pureblood, they keep them for procreating but are treated like slaves – His voice barely a whisper now – And if the woman is a Muggle-born they use them, torture them and then kill them once they have had their fun.

– Albus – a third voice joined, Severus Snape – We are going to need all the help we can get when the time comes. –

– When the time comes, not before – Said Dumbledore, his voice sounded lauder now as he approached the door.

Hermione hurried to enter the classroom door right next to the one she was using to eavesdrop and hid. She heard as all three pair of steps walked away from where she was, her heart beating so hard it sort of hurt a little bit.

Task forces? Women will have to stay to cook? Hermione shook her head that made no sense. She thought of going to Harry, Ron and Ginny and talk about it, but it was better if she held on for now and waited to see what would happen. Dumbledore would speak with them eventually, of that she was one-hundred percent sure.


End file.
